REVIEW: SOCOM GEAR Timberwolf Glock-Type pistol

[e-luder]

Hello again,

Got another pistol review for you. This is one is my teammate's and was glad to lend it to me for field testing and scrutiny.

BTW, if I'm looking to starting a single thread of pistol reviews just so I don't clog the forum with reviews. Would that be OK ASC? What do you guys think of that? Please let me know.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Introduction:

Yet another Glock variant enters the world of Airsoft.

From Socom Gear, one of manufacturers that recreated the Cheytec M200 Sniper Rifle for airsoft snipers, we have one of their latest sidearms to scrutinize— The Socom Gear Timberwolf licensed by Lone Wolf.

If you want a slightly different Glock-type pistol, the Timberwolf is not a bad choice but it’s probably not your best choice. It will give the power and accuracy you need to perform well in most CQB scenarios but it is made of weaker polymer material.

First Glance:

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If you don’t know who or what Lone Wolf is, they are one of the biggest distributors of real steel Glock parts (both aftermarket and original) and Glock accessories. That’s the short version. They sell other stuff for 1911’s , AR-15’s too. Just Google them.

Now then.

The Timberwolf came in a rather uninspired box. Though the Lone Wolf logo made it pretty sleek and mysterious.

I liked the look of the gun the first time I saw it. But after a closer look, I found myself re-thinking my first reaction. It’s a rather unimaginative design, as most Glocks are. It’s pretty simple. The frame doesn’t offer a lot of etching, not like the XDM or the Px4. But as I said, it’s a Glock in essence. So I didn’t expect much in the way of different aesthetics from a Glock.

The gun came with a standard magazine, 2 grip straps and 2 butt plates, a thread adapter along with the usual paperwork as all airsoft guns comes prepackaged with.

Details and Fabrication:

Keep in mind that Lone Wolf, as far as my understanding goes, are aftermarket parts manufacturers for various weapons producers. On this particular product, they have manufactured a frame replacement that boasts better ergonomics and lighter feel. The Timberwolf frame is their first polymer frame, though I may be wrong in that respect.

That said, what you’re essentially getting in the airsoft version of the Timberwolf is this polymer frame. And it’s proper in all respects to the real steel frame.

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The frame has all the proper trades on it located on the left side on the grip. The frame is made of polymer while its internal mechanisms are made of aluminum. My past experiences of Socom Gear pistol products are somewhat varied. Sometimes they are very well made and sometimes they fall apart within the first 10 magazines. The Timberwolf sadly falls under the latter.

The polymer frame just can’t hold up against the prolonged exposure to heavy pressure of green gas. The front end of the frame cracked, much like Marui’s G17 inherent tendency to crack on the front end. I put about 23 mags through it.

Continuing on, the frame sports a rounded and smooth trigger guard. It’s nice but I do prefer the serated, square type trigger guard for easier placement of my off hand. The frame also has thumb recesses but is not deep pocketed like Marui’s Glock pistols.

The grips are stippled all around providing some much needed texture for weapon handling. The grip themselves are more upright than that of the Glock.

The internal mechanism of the Timberwolf isn’t bad but the hammer and sear assembly seemed to bit a bit loose IMO. It’s good enough to game but you might want look into this for future reference.

I’m not going to talk about the slide too much as there isn’t much there to talk about. It’s pretty much a standard G17 Glock slide. It is made of metal. It has forward cocking serrations on both the front and back sides.

The sights are the standard sights like the ones found in Marui’s and KSC's G17. I don’t like these sights but they do the job. They are clearly marked and easy to use.

Features and Ergonomics:

The Timberwolf has the same features found in most Glocks. It has a trigger safety that needs to be pressed along with the actual trigger to unlock the trigger mechanism.

The second safety is the trigger lock found beneath the under barrel disguised as a serial number plate. Cock the gun and slide the plate towards the trigger to put the gun on safe.

As found on the real steel frame, Socom Gear also put an interchangeable grip strap system. It works just like in the XDm and the PX4. The only difference is that on this version, the straps can just slide on the integrated rail using the actual magazine to keep it in place.

Lastly, I hesitate to call it a feature, the frame also sports a beavertail to help maintain your hold on the gun. It will help handle some of the kick from the slide as it acts a brace between your thumb and trigger finger (I don’t know what that part of the hand is called (like the “L” shape)). By adding this beaver tail, it will anchor the backend of end of the gun, thereby, reducing some of the muzzle flip by reducing the pivot in your hand. In theory anyways.

There is also some extra features. As a standard on Socom Gear pistols, the Timberwolf comes with a standard underrail and a threaded barrel w/ adapter. There is also some extra buttplates to choose from. 2 to be exact. One has the Socom Gear trades and the other has the Lone Wolf logo.

Ergonomically, the gun is very comfortable to hold. The great thing about this gun is that falls between the weight ratio that is light enough to swing for quick acquisition of targets and heavy enough so that you don’t lose the “feel” of the weapon being in your hand (if that makes sense). It’s very sturdy in your hand as you fire. The beavertail really works great here reducing the recoil and the upward muzzle flip.

The hand controls function well. The slide catch has a bit of a higher raise giving you a better chance to catch the slide lock. The magazine release is also rounded and easier to get to.

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The grip straps work well enough. Though it’s not as comfortable as the XDm’s or the PX4’s. The bigger one is a bit too big for me and the small one is a bit small for my taste. I would have liked to have a medium one. But it’s all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

In-game Field Test and Functionality:

Now, I paired this thing with a Systema M4A1 PTW Assault Rifle. Not that it matters, but I wanted to note that because I wear my holster on my lower back, the beavertail on the Timberwolf sticks out and was consistently being caught on my sling. I probably need to buy a different holster altogether,to hold the gun better and move the whole holster elsewhere on my body but for the sake of giving you information, it might be worth noting. Probably not though.

On the field, the gun is very easy to use. I use sidearms for hallway scenarios as I prefer pistols for “tight” situations.

For the most part, the gun is very accurate. Storming hallways and clearing out rooms was easy with this pistol. I always aim for centre mass and acquiring targets was easy with the aforementioned weight of the pistol. For some people, weight is not really something to be considered, but for me, I do use it to for target acquisition.

For long distances, I feel that the gun is effective up to 40 feet on a full tank of gas in close engagements. It is still accurate enough to hit stationary targets but once the mag begins to run low, accuracy vs. range diminishes, as is the nature of GBB type weapons.

Magazine changes were easy even with your gloved hands due to the raised release buttons. The slide catch wasn’t an issue because I don’t even use it to be honest. Once the slide is locked, the proper way of unlocking the slide after the reload is to manually pull the locked slide further back and let the slide catch drop back to its normal unlock position. This prevents the slide catch from grinding on the slide catches’ groove and averting chipping and wearing.

The grip straps were easy to change in the middle of a game. It’s not a quick change but it’s easy enough to interchange under proper cover. I don’t see anyone doing this but it’s just some information for you to digest just in case this happens.

Controlled Tests:

The Timberwolf’s power is ok. I like a lot of kick in my pistols. Inside, the chrony measured an average range between 263 to 278 feet per second on .20g BB’s and green gas at room temperature of 18 degrees.

The kick on the gun is decent. With the lightweight slide, you can feel it but it’s not as hard as some of Socom Gear’s pistols. I would compare it to the kick of the full metal M9A1 SOF. It’s a nice kick.

As in the field, the Timberwolf is accurate. At 20 feet, the groupings were marked 4 to 8 cm apart. I find that pretty good.

The magazine holds 24+1 rounds of BB’s. Holds gas well. I can get about 1 ½ mags worth of BB’s down the barrel before recharging. It does cool relatively quickly, especially on the field.

Final Summation:

Pros:

-Good accuracy
-Decent power
-Decent Kick
-Comfortable to hold (sturdy firing)

Cons:

-Frame is weak
-Cooldown is quick
-Some internals are a bit loose
-Questionable long-term reliability

Conclusion:

Socom Gear’s Timberwolf isn’t a bad weapon. Its power is decent. Its accuracy is decent. It’s very comfortable to hold.

On long-term reliability, I can’t say I feel too confident since the frame broke and some of the internal mechanisms are loose out of the box.

Would I recommend it? I personally wouldn’t since I feel that I would just be paying for the Lone Wolf Style frame. Not worth it to me. I might as well get a Glock.

[Danke]

Any updates on this or anyone with one? I"m thinking that Timberwolf frame will be right for a project I have on line.

If it's going to break though that's not going to work well; it's integral.